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Published on: January 5, 2018
MADD victim impact panels and stages-of-change in drunk-driving prevention
M Polacsek1, E M Rogers, W G Woodall
1Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA.
Objective:
To assess the additional effects of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Victim Impact Panels (VIPs) over the effects of a DWI (driving while intoxicated) school, on (1) moving individuals through the stages-of-change toward not drinking while driving and (2) drunk-driving recidivism.
Method:
A randomized experiment with 813 (75% male) DWI offenders in New Mexico measured progress through the stages-of-change at pretest, posttest, 1-year follow-up and 2-year follow-up. In addition, drunk-driving recidivism over 2 years was measured from state driving records. Individuals were randomly assigned to a DWI school or a DWI school plus a MADD VIP.
Results:
No significant difference in movement through the stages-of-change, or in recidivism, occurred between respondents in the DWI-school-only treatment, and those in the DWI school plus VIP treatment.
Conclusions:
There was no additional effect of the MADD VIP, a relatively emotional intervention, over that of the DWI school, a relatively informational approach, on DWI behavior (whether measured by stages-of-change or by DWI rearrest data) over the 2-year period following the two interventions.
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